DOCSLIB.ORG

An Overview of Regional/Subregional Environmental Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific* Kazu Kato & Wakana Takahashi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
An Overview of Regional/Subregional Environmental Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific* Kazu Kato & Wakana Takahashi An Overview of Regional/Subregional Environmental Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific* Kazu Kato & Wakana Takahashi [Contents] 1. Introduction 2. The Need for Promoting Regional Cooperation 3. The Current Status of Multilateral Initiatives on Environmental Cooperation 4. Prospects for Future 5. Policy Recommendation [Summary] Regional and subregional programmes on environmental cooperation have been strengthened and accelerated in Asia and the Pacific, particularly since around the time of UNCED, 1992. However, the effectiveness of such cooperative efforts remains uncertain, and the outlook for future development is unclear in many cases. What steps need to be taken to improve the situation and to further promote regional cooperation toward sustainable development? The answer depends on different cooperative schemes and mechanisms in each subregion. Thus, this paper takes up the two specific cases of subregional cooperation in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia (the former being more established and the latter now slowly taking shape), together with a more generalized picture of environmental cooperation in the Asia- Pacific region as a whole, and explores the problems and possibilities for promoting environmental cooperation. In Northeast Asia, where several programmes have been independently developed, a systematic relationship among all the initiatives will create a synergy for strengthening cooperation among the various forums and programmes in future. On the other hand, in Southeast Asia, where a comprehensive and strategic environmental action plan already exists, it might be suggested to give a sharper focus on its priority areas of action and to secure funding necessary for the implementation of those programmes and projects. 1 Introduction During the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the world reached a global consensus that integration of environment and development is essential in responding to the threats of deterioration of ecosystem, worsening poverty, and perpetuation of social disparities. Since most environmental problems brought about at regional and global levels are rooted in human activities taking place at local and national levels, appropriate national strategies, policies, plans and processes are crucial in achieving the tasks. Nevertheless, as clearly stated in Agenda 21, no nation can achieve the tasks on its own, but only in close collaboration and good partnership with the United Nations, other international, regional and subregional organizations, local governments, and with broad public participation. The term “environmental governance” refers to processes through which domestic and * This paper was originally presented at ECO ASIA Long-Term Perspective Project (LTPP) 7th International Workshop, 22-23 Feb. 2000, Shonan International Village, kanagawa, Japan. The paper was revised and submitted to Regional Review Meeting in Preparation for the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 9-10 May 2000, Bangkok, Thailand. international society deals with environmental problems. Since 1992 environmental governance structures in Asia and the Pacific have changed dramatically. It is important to examine the changing nature of environmental governance in the region and its implications for environmental outcomes1. Thus, the Environmental Governance Project of the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) explores ways and means of improving environmental governance systems at local, national and regional levels in the Asian region. The Project has endeavored to systematically analyze environmental governance structures and processes within the region. More specifically, the Project examined several national environmental governance systems in a cross-sectoral and comparative manner by drawing out general features of each governance structure, as well as through case studies of three selected issues: water and marine pollution; air pollution and climate change; and deforestation. In addition, the Project is conducting studies of regional and sub- regional programmes for environmental cooperation, focusing on the three issue areas. This paper presents the tentative results of research carried out so far on sub-regional and regional mechanisms for environmental cooperation. Since the Asia-Pacific region, which comprises about 40 countries, is characterized by the extent of its geographical scope and the diversity of economic and political systems, collaboration at subregional levels is emphasized by many international and regional organizations. For example, UNEP’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNEP/ROAP) places one of its priorities on subregional environmental cooperation, and has endorsed the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programmes (SACEP), the environmental action plans facilitated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Mekong River Commission (MRC), and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and has assisted them in the further development of action plans, based on an assessment of the state of the environment in each subregion2. As a result, there is now a multitude of cooperative environmental programmes and action plans in the Asia-Pacific region, and new ones are still emerging. Yet, the effectiveness of such cooperative efforts remains uncertain, and the outlook for accomplishing their tasks is unclear in many cases. Thus, in Sections 1 and 2 this paper first returns to questioning why environmental cooperation at regional and subregional levels is needed. In Section 3, the current status of multilateral initiatives at subregional and regional levels is examined. Next, Section 4 is devoted to discussing prospects for the future. Finally, in the concluding section, a few suggestions are made to further promote regional environmental cooperation, focusing on the two subregions of Northeast and Southeast Asia. 2 The Need for Promoting Regional Environmental Cooperation Over the past two decades or so, regional and subregional environmental cooperation has been gaining momentum all over the world. The need for promoting such cooperation has arisen from several sources, as follows. First, it should be pointed out that industrial and economic development is often accompanied 1 Miranda A. Schreurs, “An Analytic Framework for a Comparative Study of Environmental Governance in Asia,” in IGES Environmental Governance, Country Reports on Environmental Governance in Four Asian Countries, P.11 2 UNEP, UNEP in the Regions. 1 by environmental degradation, the impacts of which are felt beyond the confines of individual countries. No country can single-handedly control pollution in international waters, transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and chemicals, or deal with such issues as environmental refugees, and disputes over trade restrictions for the purpose of environmental protection. Thus, there are functional requirements that several countries work together to find solutions to commonly shared environmental problems. Second, regional environmental cooperation is one of the major channels for promoting environmental security. Some researchers3 argue that environmental issues should be linked with economic and security considerations. That is, environmental degradation leads to an unstable economy and social unrest, and could result in regional conflicts. Promoting multilateral cooperation on environmental issues may be one of the most effective ways to avoid such conflicts. Others believe that advancement of regional cooperation on the environment is beneficial to fostering mutual trust and creation of peace in the region. The early stages of Long-Ranged Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) regime formation endorsed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) can be cited as one of the encouraging examples.4 Third, potential exists for regional geopolitical units offering an appropriate framework for rational utilization of the region’s natural resources and mitigation of the effects of environmental degradation. Thus, regional arrangements often address collective efforts on not only a regional or subregional scales, but also global or national-scale on common issues. For example, the European Union (EU) is currently committed to meeting their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets jointly at the regional level by agreeing on and implementing a set of differentiated national targets. Similarly, in Asia the need for a regional approach to adaptation to climate change has been identified as one of the priority areas of concern by several countries that have completed a regional study under the Asian Least-Cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement Strategy (ALGAS) Project.5 Finally, it is worth noting that Agenda 21,6 adopted at UNCED, has played a significant role in promoting regional cooperation on environment and development. In each of its priority programme areas, Agenda 21 clarified the role of regional and subregional organizations in supporting and supplementing national efforts. Since Agenda 21 represents a global consensus and political commitment at the highest political level, many governments and some local governments in Asia and the Pacific have prepared their own national or local Agenda 21, and have facilitated cooperative efforts in collaboration with international and regional organizations. 3 The Current Status of Multilateral Initiatives on Environmental Cooperation This section deals with cases of environmental cooperation in
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The ASEAN Regional Forum M
    The ASEAN Regional Forum M. C. Abad, Jr Introduction The years immediately following the end of the Cold War in the first half of the 1990s enabled the Asia-Pacific region to experience peace and stability without major power competition and without smaller nations having to take sides. At that time, ASEAN was the only diplomatic organization in existence in the region which had a considerable record of regional engagement. In taking up “the primary driving force of the ARF [ASEAN Regional Forum],” ASEAN offered its record of enhancing regional cooperation in the most diverse sub- region of the Asia-Pacific. It also cited the habit of cooperation which it had fostered and could be a catalyst for encouraging regional cooperation in the wider Asia-Pacific region. ASEAN ministerial meetings in various sectors were supposed to have con- tributed to the positive regional environment, which could be emulated in the broader Asia-Pacific. The objective of the ARF would be “to successfully preserve and enhance the peace and prosperity of the region”1 under the assumption that periods of rapid economic growth were accompanied by shifts in power relations, which could lead to conflicts. From 18 founding members, the ARF now comprises 27 participants: Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, United States, and Vietnam.2 The first ARF ministerial meeting agreed on “the need to develop a more pre- dictable and constructive pattern of relations for the Asia-Pacific region.” In its initial phase, the ARF would concentrate on enhancing trust and confidence among the partic- * This paper was submitted on 27 April 2017.
    [Show full text]
  • Draft Framework & Outline
    ASEAN Strategic Transport Plan 2011-2015 Final Report List of Abbreviations 3PL Third Party Logistics A-JTLCB ASEAN-Japan Logistics Capacity Building Program A-JTLIP ASEAN-Japan Transport Logistics Improvement Plan AADCP ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program AATIP ASEAN Air Transport Integration Project AC-ATA ASEAN-China Air Transport Agreement ACC ASEAN Coordinating Council ACMCM ASEAN-China Maritime Consultation Mechanism ACMTA ASEAN-China Maritime Transport Agreement ADB Asian Development Bank AEC ASEAN Economic Community AEM ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting AEO Authorized Economic Operator AFAFGIT ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Good in Transit AFAFIST ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Inter-State Transport AFAMT ASEAN Framework Agreement on Multimodal Transport AFAS ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services AFFA ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Association AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Agreement AHLTF ASEAN High Level Task Force AH N ASEAN Highway Network AIF ASEAN Infrastructure Fund AIS Automatic Identification System AJ-APEIT ASEAN-Japan Action Plan on Environment Improvement in the Transport Sector AJTP ASEAN-Japan Transport Partnership AMRDPE ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication AMSs ASEAN Member States APA ASEAN Ports Association APAEC ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation APRIS II ASEAN-EU Programme for Regional Integration Support (APRIS) – Phase II APSC ASEAN Political-Security Community APU Auxiliary Power Unit ASAM ASEAN Single Aviation Market ASCC ASEAN
    [Show full text]
  • Climate Warming Impacts on Distributions of Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris L.) Seed Zones and Seed Mass Across Russia in the 21St Century
    Article Climate Warming Impacts on Distributions of Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Seed Zones and Seed Mass across Russia in the 21st Century Elena I. Parfenova 1, Nina A. Kuzmina 2, Sergey R. Kuzmin 2 and Nadezhda M. Tchebakova 1,* 1 Laboratory of Forest Monitoring, Sukachev Institute of Forest FRC KSC SB RAS, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia; [email protected] 2 Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Breeding, Sukachev Institute of Forest FRC KSC SB RAS, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia; [email protected] (N.A.K.); [email protected] (S.R.K.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Research highlights: We investigated bioclimatic relationships between Scots pine seed mass and seed zones/climatypes across its range in Russia using extensive published data to predict seed zones and seed mass distributions in a changing climate and to reveal ecological and genetic components in the seed mass variation using our 40-year common garden trial data. Introduction: seed productivity issues of the major Siberian conifers in Asian Russia become especially relevant nowadays in order to compensate for significant forest losses due to various disturbances during the 20th and current centuries. Our goals were to construct bioclimatic models that predict the seed mass of major Siberian conifers (Scots pine, one of the major Siberian conifers) in a warming climate during the current century. Methods: Multi-year seed mass data were derived from the literature and were collected during field work. Climate data (January and July data and annual precipitation) were Citation: Parfenova, E.I.; Kuzmina, derived from published reference books on climate and climatic websites.
    [Show full text]
  • 4. Trade Structure
    TRADE STRUCTURE 4. TRADE STRUCTURE 4.1 Changing Nature of Global Container Trade Container shipping routes can be divided into three main groups: (1) East-West trades, which circle the globe in the Northern Hemisphere linking the major industrial centres of North America, Western Europe and Asia; (2) North-South trades articulating around major production and consumption centres of Europe, Asia and North America, and linking these centres with developing countries in the Southern Hemisphere; and (3) intraregional trades operating in shorter hauls and with smaller ships. North–south routes are Figure 4-1 shows study estimates of the container trade volumes (full export/import containers only) in 2002 and 2015 of each of trade groups. Container trade volumes on the East-West routes will increase from 34 million TEU in 2002 to 70 million TEU in 2015 representing 5.8 per cent of annual average growth rate. The study forecasts suggest that the intraregional trades will show solid growth from 28 million TEU to 72 million TEU with a compound average growth rate of 7.5 per cent per annum over the same period. The North-South trade is also expected to grow at a rate of 6.2 per cent per annum on average, exceeding the growth rate of the East-West trade. Figure 4-1: Container Trade by Trade Group (2002 and 2015) 80.00 70.00 60.00 50.00 2002 40.00 2015 Million TEU 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 East-West Intra-Regional North-South/South-South 32 TRADE STRUCTURE 4.2 Asia - North America The biggest deep sea liner route is the trans-Pacific trade between Asia and North America, representing 14.5 million TEU in 2002, equivalent to 43 per cent of the total East-West trade and 19 per cent of the world total.
    [Show full text]
  • Building the Trans- Asean Gas Pipeline
    Asia Pacific Review Trans-Asian pipe The Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) project envisages the creation Building of a trans-national pipeline network linking ASEAN’s major gas production and utilisation centres. Once realised the TAGP will have the potential of linking almost 80% of the ASEAN region’s total gas reserves and will embody a far-reaching expression of the region’s the Trans- energy interdependence and long-standing interest in the co- ordination of energy activities. There is still much to do however in order to realise the dream, not least in establishing a solid legal and Asean gas regulatory basis upon which the TAGP could operate in the best interests of all those who would derive benefit from such a network. pipeline By Peter Roberts and Alex Cull, Jones Day, Hong Kong. ASEAN’S ENERGY POLICIES (ii) The ASEAN plan of action for Energy Co- ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, operation 1999-2004 (Bangkok, 1999) - The Bangkok is a ten-state co-operative framework intended to Plan was adopted by the Seventeenth ASEAN promote greater regional development through Ministers of Energy Meeting and identifies six mutual assistance. Originally founded in 1967 by programme areas to be focused on in order to Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and implement the Hanoi Plan, including the development Thailand, the membership of ASEAN has since of the TAGP as part of an integrated ASEAN energy doubled to include Brunei (1984),Vietnam (1995), grid.The Bangkok Plan provides for the establishment Laos (1997),
    [Show full text]
  • North and Central Asia FAO-Unesco Soil Tnap of the World 1 : 5 000 000 Volume VIII North and Central Asia FAO - Unesco Soil Map of the World
    FAO-Unesco S oilmap of the 'world 1:5 000 000 Volume VII North and Central Asia FAO-Unesco Soil tnap of the world 1 : 5 000 000 Volume VIII North and Central Asia FAO - Unesco Soil map of the world Volume I Legend Volume II North America Volume III Mexico and Central America Volume IV South America Volume V Europe Volume VI Africa Volume VII South Asia Volume VIIINorth and Central Asia Volume IX Southeast Asia Volume X Australasia FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION FAO-Unesco Soilmap of the world 1: 5 000 000 Volume VIII North and Central Asia Prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Unesco-Paris 1978 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not irnply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations or of the United Nations Educa- tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization con- cerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delirnitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Printed by Tipolitografia F. Failli, Rome, for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Published in 1978 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris C) FAO/Unesco 1978 ISBN 92-3-101345-9 Printed in Italy PREFACE The project for a joint FAO/Unesco Soil Map of vested with the responsibility of compiling the techni- the World was undertaken following a recommenda- cal information, correlating the studies and drafting tion of the International Society of Soil Science.
    [Show full text]
  • Country Profile: Russia Note: Representative
    Country Profile: Russia Introduction Russia, the world’s largest nation, borders European and Asian countries as well as the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Its landscape ranges from tundra and forests to subtropical beaches. It’s famous for novelists Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, plus the Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballet companies. St. Petersburg, founded by legendary Russian leader Peter the Great, features the baroque Winter Palace, now housing part of the Hermitage Museum’s art collection. Extending across the entirety of northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms. From north west to southeast, Russia shares land borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both with Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China,Mongolia, and North Korea. It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait. Note: Representative Map Population The total population of Russia during 2015 was 142,423,773. Russia's population density is 8.4 people per square kilometre (22 per square mile), making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. The population is most dense in the European part of the country, with milder climate, centering on Moscow and Saint Petersburg. 74% of the population is urban, making Russia a highly urbanized country. Russia is the only country 1 Country Profile: Russia in the world where more people are moving from cities to rural areas, with a de- urbanisation rate of 0.2% in 2011, and it has been deurbanising since the mid-2000s.
    [Show full text]
  • Subregional Development Strategy in ASEAN After COVID-19: Inclusiveness and Sustainability in the Mekong Subregion (Mekong 2030)
    Subregional Development Strategy in ASEAN after COVID-19: Inclusiveness and Sustainability in the Mekong Subregion (Mekong 2030) Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia Subregional Development Strategy in ASEAN after COVID-19: Inclusiveness and Sustainability in the Mekong Subregion (Mekong 2030) Published by Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia Sentral Senayan II, 5th and 6th floor Jalan Asia Afrika No.8, Gelora Bung Karno Central Jakarta 10270 Indonesia ©Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, 2020 Cover design by Ranti Amelia Published in November 2020 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic or mechanical without prior written notice to and permission from ERIA. The findings, interpretations, conclusions, and views expressed in their respective chapters are entirely those of the author/s and do not reflect the views and policies of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, its Governing Board, Academic Advisory Council, or the institutions and governments they represent. Any error in content or citation in the respective chapters is the sole responsibility of the authors. Material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted with proper acknowledgement. ISBN: 978-602-5460-30-2 The report was presented at a briefing by ERIA’s Chief Economist, Professor Fukunari Kimura, at the ‘ASEAN Forum on Subregional Development – Converging Mekong subregional cooperation with ASEAN goals’ held on 14 July 2020. The policy recommendations were highlighted by ERIA President Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura for ASEAN Foreign Ministers at the Special Session of the ASEAN Coordinating Council on Subregional Development held on 9 September 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Defining Territories and Empires: from Mongol Ulus to Russian Siberia1200-1800 Stephen Kotkin
    Defining Territories and Empires: from Mongol Ulus to Russian Siberia1200-1800 Stephen Kotkin (Princeton University) Copyright (c) 1996 by the Slavic Research Center All rights reserved. The Russian empire's eventual displacement of the thirteenth-century Mongol ulus in Eurasia seems self-evident. The overthrow of the foreign yoke, defeat of various khanates, and conquest of Siberia constitute core aspects of the narratives on the formation of Russia's identity and political institutions. To those who disavow the Mongol influence, the Byzantine tradition serves as a counterweight. But the geopolitical turnabout is not a matter of dispute. Where Chingis Khan and his many descendants once held sway, the Riurikids (succeeded by the Romanovs) moved in. *1 Rather than the shortlived but ramified Mongol hegemony, which was mostly limited to the middle and southern parts of Eurasia, longterm overviews of the lands that became known as Siberia, or of its various subregions, typically begin with a chapter on "pre-history," which extends from the paleolithic to the moment of Russian arrival in the late sixteenth, early seventeenth centuries. *2 The goal is usually to enable the reader to understand what "human material" the Russians found and what "progress" was then achieved. Inherent in the narratives -- however sympathetic they may or may not be to the native peoples -- are assumptions about the historical advance deriving from the Russian arrival and socio-economic transformation. In short, the narratives are involved in legitimating Russia's conquest without any notion of alternatives. Of course, history can also be used to show that what seems natural did not exist forever but came into being; to reveal that there were other modes of existence, which were either pushed aside or folded into what then came to seem irreversible.
    [Show full text]
  • History and Social Science
    Nashoba Regional School District HISTORY AND SOCIAL SCIENCE Standards and Benchmarks Grade 7 Nashoba Regional School District History and Social Science Standards and Benchmarks, 2007-2008. Work in this document is based upon the standards outlined in the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework, August 2003. History and Social Studies by Grade Level Grade 7 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks (August 2003) Overarching Theme The study of world geography includes 5 majors themes: location, place, human interaction with the environment, movement, and regions. Grade Seven Focus: Foundations of Geography Concepts and Skills to be addressed: Students will be able to identify and interpret different kinds of maps, charts, graphs. They will use geographic and demographic terms correctly and use an atlas. They will understand what a nation is and the different international organizations. They will understand basic economic concepts such as supply and demand, economic systems, trade and the effect of these on the standard of living. Big Idea: A nation’s standard of living is impacted by its economic system, its government and geographical characteristics. Essential Questions: In what ways does location affect way of life? What qualities make a nation and how do nations interact? How does the economic system affect standard of living? By the end of SEVENTH Grade, students should be able to answer the Essential Questions above and apply knowledge and concepts attained to be able to: History and Geography • Use map and globe skills learned in pre-kindergarten to grade five to interpret different kinds of projections, as well as topographic, landform, political, population, and climate maps.
    [Show full text]
  • Global Migration and Regionalization, 1840-1940
    GLOBAL MIGRATION AND REGIONALIZATION, 1840-1940 Paper for conference on Mapping Global Inequalities Santa Cruz, California December 13-14, 2007 Adam McKeown Associate Professor of History Columbia University [email protected] The mass migrations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were a global phenomenon. From the North Atlantic to the South Pacific, hardly any corner of the earth was untouched by migration. These migrations similar in quantity and organization, and all linked through the processes of globalization: the peopling of frontiers, new transportation technologies, the production and processing of material for modern industry, the shipment and marketing of finished goods, and the production of food, shelter and clothing for people who worked in those industrial and distribution networks. It was a truly global process. Yet, the processes and cycles of migration grew increasingly integrated across the globe, the actual patterns and directions of migration grew more regionally segregated. These segregated regions experienced different patterns 2 of development and growth associated with migration. Moreover, this segregation helped to erase many of the non-Atlantic migrations from the historical memory, thus helping to obscure inequalities that were created as part of historical globalization by depicting certain parts of the world as having been outside of globalization. Most histories have recounted the age of mass migration as a transatlantic age. When migrations beyond the Atlantic are remembered at all, it is usually as a limited number of indentured laborers pressed into the service of Europeans. This historical memory is not random. It is the foundation of the broadest of global identities: East and West, North and South, First and Third Worlds, and the liberal and illiberal regions of the modern international system.
    [Show full text]
  • Malaysia Calls for Cohesive Economic Measures Among Asean Member States to Build Socio-Economic Resilience
    MEDIA RELEASE MALAYSIA CALLS FOR COHESIVE ECONOMIC MEASURES AMONG ASEAN MEMBER STATES TO BUILD SOCIO-ECONOMIC RESILIENCE Yesterday, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry attended the 36th ASEAN Summit via virtual conference hosted by Viet Nam. The Malaysian delegation was led by Prime Minister YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Hj. Muhyiddin Yassin. The ASEAN Summit is the supreme policy-making body of ASEAN which deliberates and provides policy guidance, including taking decisions on key issues pertaining to the realisation of the objectives of ASEAN among which are the acceleration of the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavors in the spirit of equality and partnership. ASEAN leaders stress the centrality and importance of unity, cooperation and solidarity, economic integration, and the importance of promoting ASEAN pro-activeness and capacity in addressing the challenges in the global landscape. The summit also discusses important matters of interest to Member States and all issues referred to it by the ASEAN Secretariat from the various councils and bodies. At the summit, ASEAN Leaders took note of the Hanoi Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic which was adopted by the ASEAN Economic Ministers at the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Virtual Conference Meeting on COVID-19 Response held on 4 June 2020. The Hanoi Plan of Action demonstrates ASEAN unity and determination in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through strengthening regional economic resilience, in line with the key priorities of Viet Nam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020.
    [Show full text]